On my criteria list for the ideal place to live and work: Must be bike friendly.
Bicycling has been a way of life for me since 1992, when I moved to San Francisco, got a bike and rode in the second Critical Mass ride, ever.
But trust me, I’m not a trendy gearhead. My antique 1992 Trek 7000 mountain bike is an unstylish hardtail, with an old Girvin Flex Stem, a precursor to modern suspension. But from San Francisco to Florida, Old Blue has repeatedly gotten me from Point A to Point B, and it’s all I need.
So whenever we arrive in a new place, I like to go for bike rides to get a feel for the area. When you ride, you can quickly judge not just the safety of the roads, but the attitude of the locals.
When we first left on this trip, our friend Ranger Mike told us horror stories about how often generators would get ripped off at the parks where he worked.
This would truly be a horror for us indeed, because I love my little Honda. I don’t love using it, but whenever I have to, I love it. You see, the Honda EU200i lives up to its “Super Quiet” branding.
And that’s a good thing when you’re in a campground with others and not boondocking way out in the woods by yourself.
The idea of taking a long break first occurred to us in 2006, when some mindless channel surfing led us to the TV show, Radical Sabbatical. Each 30 minute segment would tell the story of someone who had suddenly woken up to realize they hated their career, life was passing them by, and they needed a change, fast.
While reality shows are generally crap, watching how these people worked to make their dreams happen provided much of the inspiration we needed to get moving on our own dreams (well, that, and Jerry’s illness).
Neither Jim nor I had ever taken an extended break. In my 20s, my friends went backpacking around Europe after college, but I had student loans to pay, so I took the first dumb job that I could get. By the mid 90s, I was handing over my paycheck to student loans and credit card debt. And as for Jim, well, he’s always been too responsible to slack off.
Now that we had paid some dues in life, we became giddy at the thought of reverting to slackerdom. But the more we thought about it, we knew we couldn’t just split without some kind of goal in mind.
Oooh, I feel so bad for writing this, but in honor of George Carlin, I had to do it. What a guy. A real thinker. There will never be another like him.
One more great performer dies, and we never made the time to see him live and in person. First Stevie Ray Vaughn, then John Lee Hooker, and now, George. When we first planned this trip, we set aside a budget for concerts. And although we’ve been to some festivals and seen fantastic unknown musicians, we haven’t seen one major act in the last year. Jim just reminded me of this. I’m so ashamed.
So now, maybe we’ll stop being so cheap, and go see one of the greats before another one kicks the bucket. Any suggestions?
Did we happen to mention that this blog is now officially one year old? (Hold the applause.)
It’s been over a year actually, considering we started it as a marketing tool to sell the graphics company we built up for ten years. We slowly turned it into a travel blog once we hit the road, so there is no firm anniversary date.
With that said, I hereby present my state of the blog address, with analysis, on the one year anniversary of launching our full time RVing sabbatical road trip adventure travel lifestyle change property search community escape tribute blog.
I’d like to share a list that was recently emailed to me by fellow RV traveler, Kim She kindly sent it from somewhere in the Yukon territory of Canada last week.
She and her husband Sam left their home in Louisiana last June, and have been touring around the U.S., criss-crossing much of the same territory that Jim and I have. Read about their travels on their blog.
Kim and I share a lot of things in common, as you can tell by her list of favorite towns. See how she’s picked many of the same places / regions that we have, for many of the same reasons? But she’s also introduced me to some new ones that I’d like to check out, like Rodeo, New Mexico.
Here is Kim’s list of the best small towns in North America that she’s been to, so far. Thanks Kim.
After a year on the road, it seems clear to us that if and when we settle down, it will be somewhere in the West.
We gave the Midwest and East Coast a chance, and even fell in love with a few places, like Wisconsin, and Vermont. But ultimately, there’s just too many people crammed into the Eastern states. And in the Midwest, the mountains aren’t nearly tall enough for us. Many places we spent time in were beautiful, and quaint, but all along, I couldn’t help but drawing comparisons to my favorite places in the Western states. Nowhere else could measure up.
When we first hit the road, I didn’t want to consider Colorado as a future home, because I knew I would love it, but that real estate is expensive, and there were better deals to be had throughout the rest of the country.
But, the old adage “You get what you pay for” is so true. While you can get 100 acres with a home for less than $200k in the Midwest . . . it’s the Midwest. The people are the nicest, but the land is flat, the area is homogeneous, and the scenery just can’t compare to the kind of western mountain landscapes that take your breath away.
With this in mind, I’m willing to admit that I love the familiarity of the west, and would consider buying something in these parts. For now, here’s a list of places we want to investigate in depth.
Thanks for those summer vacations, when you packed up the family and took us to the Sierras and beyond, to show my sisters and I what life was like outside of the concrete jungle.
In the shade of the pine trees and alongside cool mountain lakes, you taught us to love nature, to play in the dirt, to fish, to hike, to sit by a lake in solitude and just be.
Each summer, no matter what our destination, I loved watching the road go by beneath our wheels. At some point I fell in love with the idea of seeing more of this great big country, and knew that some day I would.
You passed along the road trip gene to me, which is why I won’t be with you on Father’s Day. I’m road tripping, Dad. I wish you could be here, or I could be there, but I know you of all people, understand.
Today in the mountains of Colorado, I am missing you, and sending my love across the miles.
Workamping is a great way to find seasonal RV lifestyle jobs, but we recently learned of another group that connects responsible, wandering vagabonds like us, with property owners needing help.
The Caretaker Gazette is a newsletter packed with unique house sitting jobs and property caretaking opportunities all over the world. For example:
BELIZE. EXPERIENCE TROPICAL SUSTAINABLE Living. No experience necessary. Prefer couple or two adults to caretake Dem Dats Doin, a self sufficient integrated homestead. Age not a factor if you are in reasonably good health. A minimum commitment of four (4) weeks or more, anytime of the year.
COLORADO. RANCH CARETAKER COUPLE needed in Hayden, Colorado. A large ranch called Wolf Mountain Ranch is looking for a couple to reside on the premises and help out with daily chores. Housing will be provided and salaries will be based upon previous experience.
Like workamping, some gigs pay, some don’t. Many have great perks besides a rent-free place to live. For example, I know of a woman, along with her husband, who caretake a horse property near Santa Fe, where they’re allowed to board her horses for free.
We still aren’t sure what we are going to do a year from now, but at least we’ve found another way for us to explore our options for future business and lifestyle endeavors. It’s cool to think that we can have a go at running a ranch or huge private estate without having to actually fork over the money to buy it!
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